Agenda and decisions

To receive any announcements from the Mayor and Chief Executive.

The Mayor invited Members to pay tribute to the Elected Members who would not be seeking re-election at the end of the municipal year; Councillors Calvert, Dodds and Wilkinson.  The Chief Executive also announced that she had received notice that Councillor Palfreeman would be resigning as a councillor and Members were invited to pay tribute to Councillor Palfreeman also.

Group Business Managers to submit any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Cooper, O’Neill and Palfreeman.

To agree and authorise the Mayor to sign the Minutes of Council held on 14 February 2018.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2018 be approved as a correct record.

The Councillors will be asked to say if there are any items of the Agenda in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, which would prevent them from participating in any discussion of them items or participating in any vote upon the items, or any other interests.

There were no interests declared.

To receive any Petitions from Members of the Council in accordance

with Council Procedure Rule 9.

There were no petitions received.

The Committee will receive any petitions and hear any deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also hand in a petition at the meeting but that petition should relate to something on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10 (2), Members of the Public should provide at least 24 hours’ notice of presenting a deputation.

Council received (i) a deputation from Celia Moorhouse on behalf of Friends of Batley Library in regards to Batley Library, (ii) a deputation and petition from Leif Wilks on behalf of Friends of Birstall Library in regards to Birstall Library and, (iii) a deputation and petition from Brian Coleman on behalf of Grange Moor Community Association in regards to consultation on play areas.

The Committee will hear any questions from the general public.

There were no questions received.

To receive and discuss the report.

That the report be received and noted.

To consider the report.

Contact: Samantha Lawton, Legal Services.

That;

(1)  Members approved the amended terms of reference providing authority to Corporate Governance and Audit Committee to receive regular updates and to monitor the Council’s use of RIPA during the year.

(2)  Authority be delegated to the Service Director – Legal, Governance & Commissioning to make the amendments to the constitution to reflect the changes set out above.

To consider the report.

Contact: Carl Whistlecraft, Head of Democracy.

That Council considered the recommendations of both the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee and the Members’ Allowances Independent Review Panel and approved the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2018/19, with effect from 1 April 2018.

To consider the report.

Contact: Julie Muscroft, Service Director – Legal, Governance & Commissioning.

That Council;

(1)  Noted the appointment of the Acting Service Director – Finance, IT and Transactional Services as the Section 151 statutory officer;

(2)  Agreed the proposed changes to the responsibility for non-executive functions, as set out in the report; and

(3)  Delegated authority to the Monitoring Officer to make the necessary amendments to the Constitution to do this.

To receive written questions to the Leader, Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees and Nominated Spokespersons in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12/12(1).

The schedule of written questions will be tabled at the meeting.

(1)          Questionby Councillor Rob Walker to the Cabinet Member for Children (Councillor Masood Ahmed)

“Following the government’s announcement on the 13^th March of changes to the eligibility for free school meals for working families in receipt of Universal Credit how many children in Kirklees are set to lose out on free school meals”?

The Cabinet Member replied thereto

(2)          Questionby Councillor Habiban Zaman to Cabinet Member for Corporate

(Councillor Graham Turner and Councillor Musarrat Khan)

“Why are the nation’s roads getting worse”?

The Cabinet Member replied thereto

(3)          Questionby Councillor Richard Smith to Cabinet Member for Economy

(Cllr Peter McBride)

“Given that the Secretary of State for Transport has recently announced a specific Bypass Fund” has the Cabinet Member looked at the criteria to see if Flockton or other proposed schemes fit and can the Cabinet Member inform members of his view on an application for a Flockton Bypass”?

The Cabinet Member replied thereto

(4)          Questionby Councillor Richard Smith to Cabinet Member for Economy

(Cllr Peter McBride)

“Can the Cabinet member provide timescales and confirm the route for the widely publicised £77M A62 Cooper Bridge Bypass”?

Question not considered (due to time constraints)

(5)          Questionby Councillor Richard Smith to Cabinet Member for Economy

(Cllr Peter McBride)

“Could the Cabinet Member explain what Kirklees Council is doing to take advantage of the Major Road Network funding”?

              Question not considered (due to time constraints)

(6)          Questionby Councillor James Homewood to Cabinet Member for Economy (Councillor Naheed Mather)

“Cllr Mather, in this chamber members of the opposition have said that you would not deliver on housing, can you tell us what the council has delivered”

Question not considered (due to time constraints)

(7)          Questionby Councillor Steve Hall to Councillor Darren O’Donovan, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority

Q1 “How has West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service responded to the needs of the community following critical incidents in Kirklees”?

Question not considered (due to time constraints)

(8)          Questionby Councillor Judith Hughes to Cabinet Member for Adults and Public Health – (Cllr Cathy Scott)

“Last week was the National Fire Chiefs Councils national sprinkler awareness week, could you tell me whether Kirklees Council & KNH are going to retro-fit sprinklers into the 4 High Rise buildings within Kirklees”?

Question not considered (due to time constraints)

(9)          Questionby Councillor Darren O’Donovan to the Cabinet Member for Economy (Cllr Naheed Mather)

“Cllr Mather, I was very encouraged to see that the Cabinet has agreed to invest significant sum into our Town Centres. Do you agree that this will re-vitalise Huddersfield and Dewsbury”.

Question not considered (due to time constraints)

To receive for information; the minutes of Cabinet held on 21 November, 8 December, 19 December 2017, 15 January, 23 January and 30 January 2018, and Cabinet Committee – Local Issues held on 24 January 2018.

That the Minutes of Cabinet held on 21 November, 8 December, 19 December 2017, 15 January, 23 January and 30 January 2018, and Cabinet Committee – Local Issues held on 24 January 2018, be received and noted.

To receive the Minutes of the Meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 14 December 2017.

Item not considered (due to time constraints)

(a)  To receive a Portfolio Update on the Adults and Public Health Portfolio – Councillor Scott - presentation on the Healthy Child Programme;

(b)  Oral Questions/Comments to Cabinet Members on their Portfolios and relevant Cabinet Minutes;

(i)            Adults and Public Health Portfolio (Councillor Scott)

(ii)          Children’s Portfolio (Councillors Ahmed and Kendrick)

(iii)         Corporate Portfolio (Councillors Khan and Turner)

(iv)         Economy Portfolio (Councillors Mather and McBride)

(v)          Strategy and Strategic Resources Portfolio (Councillors Sheard and Pandor)

Item not considered (due to time constraints)

To receive for information the minutes of the following Committees;

(i)            Standards Committee

(ii)          Health & Wellbeing Board

(iii)         Corporate Parenting Board

(iv)         Corporate Governance and Audit Committee

(v)          Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

(vi)         Strategic Planning Committee

(vii)        Appeals Panel

(viii)      Personnel Committee

Received and noted.

(a)  Appeals Panel (Councillor Dad)

(b)  Corporate Governance and Audit Committee (Councillor Richards)

(c)  Corporate Parenting Board (Councillor Kendrick)

(d)  Employee Relations Sub Committee (Councillor Sheard)

(e)  Health and Wellbeing Board (Councillor Sheard)

(f)   Licensing and Safety Committee – including Licensing Panel and Regulatory Panel (Councillor Pattison)

(g)  Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (Councillor Stewart-Turner)

(h)  Personnel Committee (Councillor Sheard)

(i)    Planning Sub Committee - Heavy Woollen Area (Councillor Kane)

(j)    Planning Sub Committee – Huddersfield Area (Councillor Lyons)

(k)  Strategic Planning Committee (Councillor S Hall)

(l)    Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing (Councillor Smaje)

(m)Kirklees Active Leisure (Councillor Sokhal)

(n)  West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Councillor Sheard)

(o)  West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee (Councillor Kaushik)

(p)  West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (Councillor O’Donovan)

(q)  West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee (Councillor Pandor)

(r)   West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel (Councillor Hussain)

Item not considered (due to time constraints)

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Sheard,

McBride, N Turner, Greaves and Cooper.

“The Council calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to recommit to the electrification of Transpennine Railway. We note that on the day he confirmed support for the £30 billion Crossrail project he cancelled electrification of strategic significance to Yorkshire, the Midlands, North West and South West and deferred a decision on Transpennine.

As the Transpennine Railway is the main artery for rail freight and passenger movements in the North, we therefore seek the support of our Yorkshire MP’s and particularly those in Kirklees, to join forces with the Mayors of Liverpool and Manchester and the Leader of Leeds Council, in stressing the urgency of this matter and its significance as a project which could in part redress the imbalance of regional investment in the UK and lend some meaning to the term Northern Powerhouse.”

Motion approved.

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Khan, Sheard and Pandor.

“This motion calls upon the Environment Secretary Michael Gove to urgently take further action to fix the dangerous growing problem of air pollution in our towns and cities. Following a third court order that slams the Government’s Air Quality Plan as inadequate and unlawful, the UK Government has been urged to produce a national Clean Air Act which demonstrates the Government taking responsibility as well as local authorities.

Clean air is considered to be a basic requirement of human health and well-being. However, air pollution continues to pose a serious threat to health of the public. Air pollution is contributing to approximately 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK.  When dissected down to a Kirklees level that was the equivalent to 137 deaths per year associated with poor air quality in 2015.

This Council believes that air pollution in the UK is a public health crisis, with the World Health Organisation and Public Health England describing it as the largest environmental risk to public health.

Kirklees is undertaking a number of projects and interventions to improve the health of our residents and improve the local environment. This includes everything from leading on the West Yorkshire ECO-Stars Freight Recognition scheme, retrofitting school transport buses, Smart Traffic Lights, encouraging low emission taxis, installing a strategic electric vehicle charging network across the District, assessing the impact of housing developments on air quality, and providing concessional parking for low emission vehicles.

This Cabinet therefore requests the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment urging the Government to act immediately to protect the health, wellbeing and economic sustainability for our generation and those of the future. The Government must work with local authorities and industry to make sustainable evidence based changes supported by long-term consistent and stable funding.”

Motion approved, subject to the addition of:

‘This motion recognises the urgent need to take further action to fix the dangerous growing problem of air pollution and calls on the Cabinet to prepare and bring to Council at the earliest opportunity, an up-to-date Clean Air Strategy which covers the whole of the borough.’